You are here

OPEN-RANK POSITION IN RHETORIC AND WRITING STUDIES, WPA for FYC @ UTEP

Submitted by luciadura1 on December 4, 2018 - 13:58

We’re excited to announce that we will be conducting an open-rank search this spring for a Writing Program Administrator to begin directing UTEP’s First-Year Composition program in Fall 2019. Details below and attached. Please feel free to circulate widely.

OPEN-RANK POSITION IN RHETORIC AND WRITING STUDIES

POSITION DESCRIPTION: The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Department of English seeks a colleague for an Open Rank tenure-line position in our Rhetoric and Writing Studies program to direct the First-Year Writing program, which was named a “program of excellence” by the Conference of College Composition and Communication in 2012. Successful candidates should be able to articulate visionary (which the discipline contrasts to managerial) approaches to leadership with a capacity for supporting inquiry for undergraduate and graduate researchers into the teaching and study of writing and composing that extends beyond classroom-based learning. The candidate will demonstrate a commitment to culturally sustaining pedagogies, innovative curriculum design, and anti-racist writing assessment ecologies. Previous experience contributing to the academic success of bilingual/multilingual students across a broad range of literacies is highly valued. In keeping with an explicitly articulated commitment to access and excellence that is not mere branding, UTEP, unlike many research-oriented universities, is deliberately and prophetically oriented toward open access, drawing students across the U.S.-Mexico-Pueblo borderlands.

The selected candidate will join a Rhetoric and Writing Studies program that, in addition to First Year Writing, includes a new Bilingual Writing Certificate Program, an undergraduate Rhetoric and Writing Studies minor, a newly proposed undergraduate major in Technical Writing and User-Experience, a graduate Technical and Professional Writing Certificate Program, as well as master’s and PhD programs in Rhetoric and Writing Studies and a Multilingual UX Research Center. The successful candidate will teach the Composition Theory and Pedagogy course and contribute to our M.A. and Ph.D. programs. To complement and build on current faculty strengths, we are especially interested in candidates with a scholarly agenda that includes participatory research in one or more of the following subfields:

This is an academic-year, tenure system faculty appointment to begin September 1, 2019 (or sooner) with the expectation that the successful candidate will serve immediately as the department’s Writing Program Administrator for at least one three- to six-year term. The teaching load for this faculty position will likely include a course load reduction commensurate with the administrative duties.

QUALIFICATIONS:

A Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, Writing Studies, or a closely-related field such as Literacy Studies, TESOL or English Education;

Experience in Writing Program Administration or other types of program administration;

Evidence of substantial scholarship appropriate to experience in their area(s) of specialization;

ABOUT UTEP AND EL PASO: Set against the backdrop of the Franklin Mountains in the Chihuahuan Desert, The University of Texas at El Paso is located along the U.S.–Mexico border in one of the largest binational communities in the world. El Paso is a highly livable, bicultural community of almost 700,000 people that offers affordable homes and attractive neighborhoods. It has been named among the safest large U.S. cities. El Paso experiences more than 300 days of sunshine annually, and residents enjoy outdoor activities year-round. The City of El Paso is adjacent to the state of New Mexico and the country of Mexico, making it an ideal venue for academic programs and research studies on topics of national interest, such as bilingual education/language acquisition, border environment and immigration, environmental sustainability and infrastructure, health disparities, and international trade and commerce.

The University of Texas at El Paso and its “access and excellence” mission are redefining public higher education not only in Texas, but also across the nation.

The University’s extraordinary success is validated by numerous accolades. The Brookings Institution in 2017 ranked UTEP as the No. 1 leader in equal access to higher education, based on a combination of research productivity and student social mobility. The Carnegie Corporation of New York also recently recognized the University for its institutional vision and commitment to quality, diversity, curricular innovation and investment in our community. A 2016 column in the New York Times lauded UTEP as a working-class institution that enrolls students from families of modest means and turns out graduates who work their way into the middle class, upper middle class and beyond.

Since opening its doors along the U.S.-Mexico border in 1914 as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, UTEP has enabled generations of students to pursue their goals through higher education in one of the largest binational communities in the world.

Over the past century, the University’s enrollment has grown from 27 mining students to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and that number increases annually.

The University has annual research expenditures of $95 million, maintains an operating budget of $500 million and employs approximately 4,000 people.

UTEP offers a broad array of degree programs – 74 bachelor’s, 76 master’s, and 22 doctorates – taught by outstanding faculty who have been recognized for their commitment to student success.

The quality of UTEP’s faculty and their sustained commitment to excellence are reflected in the University’s strong record of receiving extremely competitive grant awards, while also maintaining an academic environment dedicated to addressing the educational needs of students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Review of applications will begin January 4, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants must submit a letter of interest, CV, a pedagogically oriented administrative philosophy, a writing sample of approximately 20 pages and three current letters of recommendation. For questions about the position, you may contact Dr. Jennifer Clifton, Director of Rhetoric and Writing Studies and Search Chair, at jlclifton@utep.edu.

Initial interviews will be conducted via Skype in mid- to late-January.

In keeping with its Access and Excellence mission, the University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all.

The University of Texas at El Paso does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran's status, sexual orientation or gender identity in employment or in the provision of services.